Repository of adventures.

Month: January 2007

(WBZ)BOSTON The suspicious devices which forced bomb units to scramble across Boston today were actually magnetic lights that are part of a marketing campaign for a television cartoon.

The reports forced the temporary shutdowns of Interstate 93 out of the city, a key inbound roadway, a bridge between Boston and Cambridge, and a portion of the Charles River but were quickly determined not to be explosive.

“It’s a hoax — and it’s not funny,” Gov. Deval Patrick said.

All of the devices are magnetic lights which resemble a character on the show “Aqua Teen Hunger Force”, on Turner Broadcasting’s Cartoon Network.

WBZ has obtained a statement from Turner Broadcasting:

“The “packages” in question are magnetic lights that pose no danger. They are part of an outdoor marketing campaign in 10 cities in support of Adult Swim’s animated television show Aqua Teen Hunger Force. They have been in place for two to three weeks in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Austin, San Francisco and Philadelphia. Parent company Turner Broadcasting is in contact with local and federal enforcement on the exact locations of the billboards. We regret that they mistakenly thought to pose any danger.”

A total of ten devices were found in Boston, Cambridge and Somerville.

The first device was found at an MBTA subway and bus station located under Interstate 93 on Wednesday morning. The device was detonated and determined to be harmless, but as a precaution the station and the interstate shut down temporarily.

Then, around 1 p.m., four calls came into Boston Police reporting suspicious devices at the Boston University Bridge and the Longfellow Bridge, which both span the Charles River, and the corner of Stuart and Columbus Streets and at the Tufts-New England Medical Center.

Another device was found in Somerville under the McGrath Highway Bridge. The latest package was found outside Fenway Park around 5:30 p.m.

Mayor Menino said the hoax cost the state and cities about $750,000. He wants Turner Broadcasting to pay for it all.

“It is outrageous, in a post 9/11 world, that a company would use this type of marketing scheme. I am prepared to take any and all legal action against Turner Broadcasting and its affiliates for any and all expenses incurred during the response to today’s incidents. Boston will look to coordinate our efforts going forward with Cambridge, Somerville and any other affected agencies.”

“Aqua Teen Hunger Force” is a cartoon with a cultish following that airs as part of the Adult Swim late-night block of programs for adults on the Cartoon Network. A feature length film based on the show is slated for release March 23.

The surreal series centers on a talking milkshake (Master Shake), fries (Frylock) and a meatball (Meatwad).

The cartoon also includes two trouble-making, 1980s-graphic-like characters called “mooninites,” named Ignignokt and Err — who were pictured on the suspicious devices. They are known for making the obscene hand gesture depicted on the devices.

Personally I think this is hilarious. The fact that the mooninites cause trouble on the show and now in an ad campaign is just sweet, succulent irony. I’d love to see some mention of this in a future episode.

At last, a new episode of Veronica. The first new Veronica since 2006. I know my reviews of the final two sweeps episodes (8 and 9) are still MIA, but I need to re-watch the episodes before I review them, just as a little mental refresher. Show Me The Monkey made me proud to be a fan of this show. It was by far the finest episode I’d seen in 2007. As well as the only, but that’s regardless, its still a fine hour spent in front of the TV. The episode was written by John Ebrom, John Enbom and Robby Hull and directed by Nick Marck.

The story:

A-Storyline – Veronica is hired to find a gaggle of missing rats and a monkey.

B-Storyline – Keith investigates what may be Dean O’Dell’s murder.

C-Storyline – Logan tries to get over Veronica with the help of Dick.

What I liked: Everything. All hail this mighty episode. Monkeys are delicious, Phat jokes, What? I raised my hand? Dick and the Polaroids, the cartoon noises in the background during the discussion between Logan and Dick (EXCELLENT choice! It gave the season just the right amount of sincerity and props should go out to the brilliant sound editor for keeping the air light and cliche free), the calender, choosing Canada, Ultimate Boy Quest 2007, “I checked his ID at the Border”, lots of Parker :), surfing scenes, “My labi-dont”.

My favorite line of the night:

Veronica: Monkey, as in touch my?

What I didn’t like: There wasn’t anything to bad about the episode except that it ended at 10PM. Oh, wait, they are supposed to?

Overall: Holy wonderful episode Batman! This was a stellar episode for VM’s return to TV. This weeks episode had a good opening and it was perfect for roping in new viewers. I see a slight familiar transformation in Mac’s character, moving just a bit towards being slightly Willow-esque with a tiny touch of Xander and I like it.

This weeks episode gets a

5 out of 5

**Update 1/31 – The Nielsen ratings for this episode put the number of viewers around 3.2 million.I estimate the odds to seeing a new season are 1.5 to 4.

Original screenplay

With a new episode of Veronica airing this week, so begins the second story arch of the season – Who killed Dean O’Dell? Now so far we’ve had nine episodes this season and we’ve been promised twenty which would mean the rest of the season, all eleven episodes, will be split into six and five. Why you ask? Let’s check the USA Today…

Reality series Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll, in which nine women compete for a spot on the hit singing group, will air for eight weeks starting March 6, Tuesdays at 9 ET/PT. Veronica Mars, which now airs in that spot, will take a breather then return for five non-serialized episodes — a first for that series — to finish out the season.

Now as much as I love the Pussycat Dolls and loosening up some buttons, I really don’t want another break in my show. Especially since long breaks often lead to lost viewers. If Veronica is going to make it to Season 4, then the February sweeps are going to either have to be utterly phenomenal or, more likely, the show is going to have to gain a half million viewers by May. It’s estimated that the show has around 3 million viewers right now. So if you know a half million people, you might want to invite them over for a viewing of Veronica Mars this Tuesday and get them hooked.

As for the idea of non-serialized episodes, I can deal with it. The show has constantly demonstrated its ability to evolve, and as long as there are good writers on the staff, I can’t see this being a problem. There will still be carryover each week, just no big mystery to be solved.

I’m still skeptical on a fourth season. With this development and with the Nielsen ratings still holding well under what the CW wants, a fourth season isn’t looking like its going to happen. It’s not over till the fat lady sings though. Remember, VM was originally signed for only 13 episodes this season and it picked up 7 more after a solid premiere and continued critical acclaim. Side note: the reason VM didn’t get a “full” 22 is because the CW didn’t have enough bling in its budgets it’s not because the show is getting cancelled. Simple money problems. With this in mind I am starting a new feature in which I will continue to chart the odds for a fourth season of Veronica.

Odds for a fourth season of Veronica Mars as of right now: 1 in 4

Don’t forget you can watch Veronica Mars episodes anytime at the CW’s website. Just click here!

A good friend of mine and an up and coming musician, Jesse Bonanno, was featured on Fox 23 News yesterday. For those of you who have spent any portion of the past 6 years in Potsdam you’ve no doubt heard Jesse’s unique sound at one point or another. Whether at Open Mic night at Club 99 on Clarkson campus or the Field’s Coffeehous, Jesse is the best thing to hit the Potsdam music scene in a long time. Check out the interview and stop by his website where you can hear song clips and pick up a copy of his CD.

Fox is ordering only 16 instead of 25 episodes of the Southern California teen drama The OC for next season.. According to Variety, Fox will be done with the show in February, and may look to replace it with a midseason series. The OC has slipped in the ratings this past season with a weekly average of 5 million viewers in the 2005-2006 season.